


A Coward and a Lover Boy

by 125xuxi



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE, NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Best Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Yuta was mentioned once, inspired by the movie Flipped (2010)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 02:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20538326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/125xuxi/pseuds/125xuxi
Summary: Lucas was adamant that Yuqi should bid for a lunch date with him.





	A Coward and a Lover Boy

**SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT SHE WOULD BE IN LUCAS’S KITCHEN PREPARING LUNCH AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING,** but here she was with wet hands after washing them. She prepared gimbap for Lucas’s lunch date. It was an easy meal to make and tasty, too. _Anything from Yuqi is delicious,_ Lucas said with pouty lips when they were in class after the names for Basket Boys were announced.

It was a school tradition for Basket Boys to prepare lunch and have a lunch date with their highest bidder during their school open day. Song Yuqi saw Lucas’s name bright and clear on the school board along the names of other popular and hot boys. She was mentally readying herself to tease Lucas. _He would hate it so much_, Yuqi thought as she skipped to her class.

The thing was; Basket Boys should be preppy. Suits and tuxedos and the like. Her best friend Lucas was anything but that. His black hair was always messy and drooped on his forehead and god the ear piercing. He was lucky the teachers were practically head over heels for him. Well, that and the fact that he was a promising basketball player. Otherwise, he would be known as a delinquent. Though, Yuqi couldn’t imagine Lucas with his bright smile and easygoing aura could turn into a delinquent.

That bright smile costed a lot of things. One of them was her precious morning on a Saturday that she could use to sleep in but instead being used to prepare _his_ lunch for _his_ date. It sounded pathetic on her side, really. She meant to tease Lucas for being a Basket Boy (it wasn’t a bad thing. It’s just she couldn’t picture Lucas in a tuxedo) when they were in class but Lucas practically ran and bend down to match Yuqi’s height and asked her to make lunch for the event.

_What if she doesn’t like my food? This is my image we’re talking about!_ was what he blabbed when Yuqi shook her head no. Only after a few exaggerated compliments and promise of monetary reward she would give in. No one in their right mind would wake up in the morning to prepare lunch for free anyway. Not even for their best friend.

And now on the day of the event, Yuqi woke up early, hauled herself to Lucas’s house and had her hands sticky for rolling rice and folded them with seaweed. If only the Wong parents weren’t workaholics and Lucas knew how to cook anything besides ramen, she could sleep in peace today.

After tucking the lunchbox in a picnic basket, Yuqi scanned around the kitchen for a napkin or tissue only to be disappointed with a naked tissue roller. She huffed and puffed while walking towards Lucas’s room.

The house was eerily quiet so she thumped her foot to add some sound as she climbed the stairs to Lucas’s room. The door was ajar so Yuqi just pushed it without a thought. Automatically, Lucas in the room screamed loudly, which triggered Yuqi’s fight-or-flight response so she screamed too. Her scream, though was heightened when she noticed Lucas was _just_ buttoning his shirt, showing off his abs that he worked hard for all summer.

“Jesus, Yuqi, you scared me,” Lucas muttered under his breath.

“You shouldn’t scream first!” Yuqi hit his chest with her still wet hands. Her eyes widened, noticing the stain she made on Lucas’s black dress shirt.

“Song Yuqi, I hope it’s water because Jaehyun would be pissed,” Lucas grabbed tissues from a table adjacent to his mirror. Watching Lucas, she was reminded of why she came here in the first place, so she helped herself with the tissue.

Having nothing to do, she plopped on Lucas’s bed, watching her best friend getting ready. She teased about this day for weeks. _Don’t tell me you’re going to wear your varsity jacket. Hey, Lucas, this jersey would look good on you! Let’s fix your hair. Maybe we’ll get someone to bid for you_. She wouldn’t hold her tongue when it comes to Lucas. They were comfortable enough to joke like that.

But deep down, both of them knew that people at school would line up to bid for him. He may have weird sense of fashion and messy, coming-back-from-the-gym hair. But one look at his wide, clear eyes and lush lips and perfect frame with his 6 ft tall body, anyone would fall for him.

She did, actually. Her teasing him was just a way to ignore the fact that this day would come. He would stand on the school stage all fine and dandy with a picnic basket at hand. The girls that talked about him in the bathroom while they were fixing their makeup would raise their hands to bid. The shy ones that approached Yuqi to be closer to Lucas would just sit and watch as the bidding process unfold, gritting their teeth because they didn’t have the courage to join in the warfare. Was she in the same category as the shy one? She couldn’t be. She was Song Yuqi, the social butterfly, the one who introduced Lucas to everyone, after all. It didn’t make sense.

But then again, falling in love with Lucas didn’t make sense, either.

She tried to shake the thought that some lucky girl would spend the afternoon with him eating lunch that she made. But now looking at Lucas in a black dress shirt and dark grey pants that matched the blazer that he borrowed from Jaehyun, the thoughts came crashing back. She groaned in disgust just thinking about it.

“Do I look that bad?” Lucas asked. His tone was layered in worry as he turned to face Yuqi. That startled Yuqi as she realized she actually groaned out loud. It wasn’t just in her head.

Yuqi eyed Lucas still with his dress shirt all buttoned up yet untucked. “The shirt should be tucked, Basket Boy,”

“You know I love it when you call me Lover Boy instead,” He chuckled. Both of their minds were travelling back to when eleven year-old Lucas had a crush on a popular girl in school. He didn’t join in with the basketball crowd yet, and because of his high spirits that matched with no one, only Yuqi could tolerate with him.

They were partners for a science project so they always opted to sit next to each other. Surprisingly, he had many cool ideas that weren’t just about volcanoes erupting or using heat to dry shoes. They actually came up with an innovative project together thanks to Lucas. It was a given that they would spend their time with each other a lot after that.

Everyone could see that they were an impeccable pair; Lucas always had great ideas and Yuqi somehow was always terrific doing things hands-on. Their chemistry fit like long-lost puzzles finding their way back to the puzzle board. Always side by side and never wanted the other way. One day when they were done with their science project at Yuqi’s house and the rain was pouring heavily, Lucas had to wait until the rain stopped to get home.

Not that he minded, to be honest. Just like a puzzle finally finding another piece to fit with, he started to feel comfortable being around Yuqi. It felt like he could leave all his secrets with her and she would take it to grave. And that was how Yuqi called her Lover Boy. Stuck with nothing else to do on that rainy day, they played 20 questions and Yuqi asked him his deepest secret; to which he told her about a box he kept containing lyrics of songs that he wrote when he listened to the radio. When he was writing the songs, he imagined the popular girl. It was silly, really, and Yuqi teased about it a lot that it became one of their first inside jokes.

Years later after he outgrown his feelings, Lucas and Yuqi’s friendship molded into something more than perfect puzzle. Thanks to Yuqi’s social butterfly nature, their classmates start to warm up with Lucas’s antics. Nonetheless, even after he became close with the guys in the basketball team, he would still prefer Yuqi to spend time with. He wouldn’t tell her this though. _This_ was one secret he would keep to himself.

Another secret was that he had this habit of intentionally hugging Yuqi all of the sudden just so she would say _get off me, lover boy!_ After a few years, the nickname turned into something else. He would hold her hands or hug her or carry her (bless her petite frame) and she would call him Lover Boy to make him stop in embarrassment. He never did, though.

Their friends who initially shocked over Lucas’s spontaneity and Yuqi telling him off by calling him Lover Boy just shrugged after a while. It was just a Lucas and Yuqi thing to do. No one understood their shared glances and abrupt laughter amidst busy discussion with their big circle of friends. It was a routine; their friends talking about something, Lucas or Yuqi looked at each other when they used certain words, laughed together without a warning, and when asked about it, they would just say _it’s nothing, really. _

There were certain things in the world that only both of them knew. And both of them liked it that way.

“Right, our Lover Boy upgraded to be a Basket Boy,” Yuqi laughed. “Do you think she’ll bid for you?” She asked, aware that Lucas knew exactly who she meant.

“What? You’re scared of competition?” He teased her. Hearing that, Yuqi reached for the nearest plushie (the one she gave as a birthday present) and threw at him. It was a perfect shot; landed on Lucas’s wide back.

Lucas laughed out loud. He picked up the plushie and put it neatly between two pillows, making him dangerously close to Yuqi. His head was over Yuqi’s ponytail and for a while it felt like time stood still. His eyes were gazing on to Yuqi’s ponytail and he bit his lips, trying not to do what his brain told him to.

Yuqi sighed before replying. “I told you I won’t—Hey!“ Lucas’s hands reached on to Yuqi’s scrunchie, effectively removing the ponytail. Her silky hair fell to her shoulders.

Lucas’s face morphed into delight, grinning as Yuqi frowned. “Come on, you should try to be cuter for this date,”

“Why would I be your lunch date when we practically have lunch together every day?” She grunted. “Besides, it’s cheating,”

“It’s not technically _cheating_. You still bid for me. The money still goes to charity. I don’t see the problem,” He quipped, combing his hair now. Through the mirror, he glanced at Yuqi fixing her skirt as she stood up. She was already impatient. God, why was he so slow in getting ready?

“Uh huh, Robin Hood,” She glared at Lucas, already annoyed that Lucas took so much time in getting ready. Miyeon and Jaehyun could come any minute now and he still didn’t wear his tie. “It’s just unfair for other girls,”

“I mean, Jaehyun’s participating. And Miyeon would definitely bid for her boyfriend,” Lucas was still adamant. It wasn’t a shocker that Jaehyun would be a Basket Boy _again_. Being a basketball captain and scored highest marks in every subject, it was a given that he had his own fanclub even though he was technically unavailable.

Yuqi sighed before arguing. “She’s rich, Lucas. That was the whole point. She can bid high amount for the charity. His name was there for a reason,”

Not willing to defy Yuqi, Lucas picked up a grey tie to wear. He looked up the clock to check the time and was internally panicking. Jaehyun was supposed to pick them up at 7:30 and it’s already 7:20. He had ten minutes to wear the tie but unfortunately, he sucks at it. This was one of the reasons why he dressed like he doesn’t care about the world. It was because he was too proud to admit that he couldn’t wear a_ tie_.

Usually his father would help him out but he only had Yuqi in the house right now. She couldn’t know how to fix a tie, could she?

Yuqi watched Lucas struggling with the tie. He put it around his neck at first, then intersecting them, and when it didn’t work out, he tried to tie it like a rope. She thought he was just joking around at first. But then his forehead started to wrinkle more and more and he muttered something under his breath. It dawned on her that Wong Yukhei, basketball rising star, loved and admired by a lot of girls, always looked like he knew everything; didn’t know how to wear a tie.

She held back her laugh. _This is not funny. Definitely not funny. Stop smiling, Yuqi. Don’t tease him yet._ But one look of puppy eyes from Lucas and Yuqi unapologetically let out a belly laugh. Her eyes were kept shut as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. Her feet started to walk until it stopped right in front of Lucas’s. The word tie would definitely be added into their list of trigger-words-to-laugh-all-of-the-sudden after this.

“Wong Yukhei, not knowing how to wear a tie,” Yuqi mused as she fixed the tie for him. Although she was aware that they were too close with each other, she didn’t feel weird at all. Being with Lucas felt like a constant. Something that just _feels_ right without any doubt.

The boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. Unlike Yuqi, he was aware that they were too close. He couldn’t stop thinking that Yuqi woke up early, went to his kitchen to prepare food and now fixed his tie just like a young wed would do.

Young wed. His mind was filled with those words as Yuqi nagged at him for being so late and having no knowledge in men’s wear. She also nagged something about Jaehyun and Miyeon would be pissed if they were late but then again they shouldn’t be offering the ride at the first place because both Lucas and Yuqi could go to school together and it’s not like they need to ride on Miyeon’s daddy’s car to make a statement because everyone in school knows them all but funnily they didn’t know that The Wong Yukhei can’t wear a ti—

Tap. Tap. Tap. A gentle pat landed on Yuqi’s head. Her fingers stopped moving as her head moved to look at Lucas. His smile grew wider, showing his perfect white teeth. He was absolutely proud he had this power to stop Yuqi’s nagging with just one touch. His hand was still on her head, now patting it a few more times. His eyes turned soft and for a while, the only sound that was emitted was the sound of the ticking clock.

“Thank you, I don’t know what I would do without you,” He said, almost like a whisper.

The colors on Yuqi’s cheeks turned bright pink. She dealt with a lot of versions of Lucas before. The hyperactive Lucas, the whiny Lucas, the boastful Lucas, but the sappy Lucas was something that she found herself struggling with. She cleared her throat, distancing herself after his tie was done perfectly.

“I’m not doing this for free, you know,” She said. She held her hand in front of Lucas, expecting him to drop a few green notes on her palm.

Before Lucas could even open his wallet, they both heard a honk in front of Lucas’s house. Panicked Yuqi completely forgot about the money and held Lucas’s hand to rush outside. As she ran to the kitchen and grabbed the picnic basket containing gimbap, Lucas fished a couple of notes worth a hundred dollars.

“Why are you standing there? Hurry up!” Yuqi took Lucas’s hand in a rush and felt the money on his hands. She shot him a look but he didn’t explain anything, just dashing out of the house with Yuqi at behind.

Whatever happens next, Lucas will make sure that he would secure his date. Specifically, the one who was holding his picnic basket.

///

They spotted Miyeon’s Mercedes car in front of the house and quickly get in only to find Miyeon and Jaehyun were making out with each other as if they were the only ones in the car. Lucas cleared his throat loudly, signaling that the couple weren’t alone.

With that, their once joined heads were pulled back. Jaehyun nodded shyly at Lucas and Yuqi before starting off the engine and coursing the road in silence.

“Oh, hey!” Miyeon beamed at Yuqi and Lucas at the back while fixing her tangled hair. Yuqi raised her eyebrows, amused to see Miyeon being so carefree.

Miyeon’s hair was always styled straight and sleek, sometimes paired with a Hermes headband. Her makeup, although looks simple and chic, nobody would dare to ask what product she used. No high schooler could afford it anyway. She was a paragon of rich, elegant girl who knew how to act in public setting.

Maybe not in a car.

Today, her lipstick was a bit smudged because of what just happened. She dusted off invisible dusts on her crisp, ironed white Chanel cardigan, trying to look casual but failed miserably. Yuqi and Lucas at the back were intensely quiet, which was very unlike them.

Maybe it was them crashing a makeout scene, or the money that Yuqi was holding, or the way Lucas and Yuqi acted this morning with each other—being on a limbo between best friends and each other’s crushes. But it was only 7:40 in the morning, and there was just a lot to take in.

But Miyeon thought they were silent because of her and Jaehyun. So although she didn’t owe any explanation, she decided to speak up, interrupting Jaehyun humming to the song on the radio (in truth, he too, was unsettled to see the quiet pair at the backseat).

“Technically, today is our anniversary,” Miyeon broke the silence.

“You guys celebrated your anniversary last Tuesday,” Lucas drawled out, reminding them that Jaehyun had the whole basketball team throwing petals of roses around the court as he spelled Miyeon’s name at the center of the court. Yuqi was there too as she was supposed to trick Miyeon to get to the gym.

“Yeah, but,” Miyeon paused to squeeze Jaehyun’s cheeks. “We met during Basket Boys event,” Jaehyun’s eyes were set on the road as he was driving but he took Miyeon’s hand and kissed them.

“Speaking of which, Yuqi will bid for you, right, Lucas?” Jaehyun asked nonchalantly. His tailored white blazer matched Miyeon’s cardigan.

Jaehyun and Miyeon have been discussing about what to wear since the name for Basket Boys was announced. It may be a charity event to them last year but this year it was more of a fun lunch date where they wear obnoxiously expensive outfit. It’s a walk in the park to them.

“No. She said it was unfair for other girls,” Lucas mimicked Yuqi’s voice and let the couple snickered. It sounded naïve to them, and Yuqi was. She believed that as a person who acknowledged her best friend’s popularity among girls, she would have to step back.

A lot of girls who approached her in hopes to get a chance with Lucas trusted her. And to break the girls’ trust was just not in Yuqi’s nature. Especially when she made it clear to them that Lucas and her were not dating. The worried girls would sigh in relief and continued gushing over Lucas—talking about how athletic he is, or how his smile reminded them of sunflowers. Yellow, big, sunflowers.

To Yuqi, it was unfair to break their trust.

“Yuqi, are you afraid of competition?” Miyeon asked.

“That’s what I said! Yuqi is a coward,” Lucas widened his eyes and sticked his tongue out. It was childish but Yuqi hated being called a coward. She was anything but that.

“I am _not_ a coward!” Yuqi defended herself.

“Prove it,” Lucas squeezed Yuqi’s hand that was occupied with his money. “Let’s see if you can bid for me,”

In Yuqi’s hands were money that she was supposed to receive for helping Lucas with his lunch. Sure, she bought the ingredients and she deserved reward for her labor but $100? That was too much. Both of them knew that the extra dollars were for something else.

Something involving Yuqi’s pride now, apparently.

///

**“YOU SHOULD JUST DO IT, YOU KNOW,” MIYEON SPOKE AFTER A LONG TIME**.

“Why would I waste my money? I sit with him during lunch every day,”

“You know this is not the same. Listen, you don’t have to care about the girls,” Miyeon strained her neck to get closer to Yuqi.

“Easy for you to say,” Yuqi huffed. “Why are you pushing me anyway?” Miyeon laughed at that.

“If you really wanna know, you should bid for him first,”

Both her and Yuqi were seated in the hall with a decorated stage in front. The mirth of chatters was loud, indicating everyone’s excitement. Yuqi noticed that there were more Basket Boys this year considering that last year’s event was a huge success. They raised almost one thousand—with Miyeon contributed $750 for Jaehyun last year.

It wasn’t a surprise that Jaehyun was up as a Basket Boy again this year. He was standing tall with his hair slicked back beside a Japanese exchange student, Nakamoto Yuta. And beside Yuta, lo and behold, her best friend, Wong Yukhei.

The host for the charity event stepped in, eager to start just like the other students. They started off with Yuta; his likes, dislikes and quirks were being mentioned. There was a few pause of “aww” and “ahh” from the audience. A few hands and shouts of numbers were raised. The numbers increased each time until a heard was knocked and the host announced ‘sold!’ loud and clear.

Soon after, it was Lucas’s turn. He held his head high, showing his prominent features. His tall and lanky figure was accentuated by the dark grey suit that he wore. He didn’t look like the usual fresh-from-the-gym Lucas that Yuqi was familiar of. And that sent adrenaline throughout her whole body.

She couldn’t even recollect her thoughts when the bidding process happened. Too many shouts and hands raised that she almost missed Lucas staring at her and mouthing ‘coward’. He then proceeded to flash an angelic smile, still messing around with Yuqi.

By then, the highest was already at $95. Maybe Yuqi did underestimate Lucas’s popularity. She turned around to see not only her classmates but juniors and seniors were all involved as well. Miyeon nudged Yuqi’s elbow repeatedly, urging her to join in the battle.

She only had $100 and that was because of Lucas. Honestly, she intentionally didn’t bring her purse in fear that she might join in. She could hear the imaginative girl voices in her head as she stared at her purse before she left her house; _you said you were best friends! You know how I feel! I trusted you! _

Lucas’s admirers would swarm her like bees bringing vengeance. So she walked out of the house cashless.

Miyeon’s frantic nudge made Yuqi unable to think. She looked at Lucas now smiling at the crowd, not looking at her. Was she really a coward? What was she so afraid of? It was just one date. One lunch. As best friends. It didn’t mean anything. It was a stupid auction. Her mind was warped with a lot of things—Lucas challenging her even when he was on stage, the girls shouting numbers relentlessly, and Miyeon. She was tired of letting Miyeon targeting her elbow so she did it. She raised her hand.

“100!”

///

**“NICE! YOU PACKED FRESH ORANGE,”** Lucas brought out a pitcher of fresh orange from the basket. Yuqi knew it was his favorite. In her mind, she knew that gimbap would be a safe choice since she didn’t know who would be his date. But fresh orange was a must.

“Aw! No meat!?” His voice was loud in frustration. It wasn’t that he intended to but his voice was naturally in speaker volume. Yuqi slapped his thigh hard, clearly not enjoying his complain. Lucas was a big meat eater, and a loud one too.

“You should be thanking me! You eating meat in front of your date would be a horror,” Yuqi joked.

“But _you_ are my date,” Lucas helped himself with the gimbap. “You have seen all of my worst moments,”

The heart inside Yuqi’s chest was beating fast as she heard Lucas emphasized that she was his date. She wondered if he said it with no intention laced in it. That would be cruel but it was even crueler to let yourself in a platonic friendship and hoping something more from it. She smiled in cynic. Why did she even raise her hand an hour before?

Her finger trailed the circle of the full glass. There she was, sitting on the grass covered with a thin gingham cloth with Lucas beside her. He discarded the blazer already, letting one of his button popped off as he kept his tie in his pocket.

If he was with another girl, Yuqi would tell him straight to wear the blazer and tie, never mind that it was inconvenient for him. But she was with him. And they weren’t strangers just getting to know each other. Like Lucas said, she had seen his best and worst moments. Him ditching the Basket Boy look was anything but his worst moment.

In fact, she was starting to go crazy over his look.

“Thank you, Yuqi,” Lucas grinned with his mouth full. “I really want to have lunch with you today,”

“Whatever,” She scoffed. “I won,”

“I actually won, too,” Lucas smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“I get what I want,” He locked his eyes with Yuqi’s, wanting her to see how sincere he felt. “I want you to be with me,”

Yuqi pushed his shoulder away, creating distance between them. “I’m always with you, silly,”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” He flustered, his right hand traveled to the back of his hair. His eyes wandered elsewhere as he bit his lip. Reading Lucas was as easy as reading a children’s book so she knew that he was being nervous. But why?

“I meant it as a date. As a couple. Just like…” He trailed his words, afraid to say it but he took a deep breath and continued. “Like Jaehyun and Miyeon kind of date,”

Yuqi’s mouth was wide agape. If her heart was racing minutes ago, it felt like it dropped to her stomach and unleashed thousands of butterflies. She felt queasy, and so did Lucas. He was afraid that Yuqi wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. But he knew his best friend.

He saw the way her eyes shifted lovingly these past few months. He noticed that she would daydream in class, doodling little hearts all over her notebook. He knew she was lovestruck. He thought she had a crush on one of his team mates, that would explain why she was always excited to be at the gym.

But he picked up her quirks and hearsays from the gossip girls. He was certain that he knew how she felt and that made him elated. His only problem was how. How to tell her that he felt the same the way? He didn’t want to be just best friends anymore.

“You’re not playing with me, Lover Boy?” Yuqi’s voice was low, worried that this was just one of his stupid game. But just calling him Lover Boy again felt out of place.

“I’m not. I love you. I really do. And not in a friends kind of way,” Lucas smiled sheepishly.

Stunned Yuqi didn’t flinch at all. She watched as Lucas slowly moving towards her, his hand was planted near hers and his face was just inches away. This time, she couldn’t push him away. She didn’t want to, actually.

So she let him get closer, too close that she could feel Lucas’s breath on her face. She closed her eyes and whispered to him _I love you, too_ before allowing him to smash her lips with his. The kiss was slow and gentle as Lucas cupped Yuqi’s cheeks with his big hands.

They heard a few loud chatters from their friends but in that moment, Yuqi couldn’t care less. In front of her was Lucas, her best friend, her Lover Boy. The only one who she should only care about. Not the girls or anyone else. She wasn’t a coward. She never was.

Yuqi proved it by admitting to her feelings after all.

**Author's Note:**

> ask some q's on my cc @/bedror if u want :)


End file.
